March 10, 2023

Trans Bruce Springsteen Energy

I'm going to keep this quick so you can read all about John-Allison Weiss's gorgeous album The Long Way! Probably the biggest-ticket item is that a whole bevy of amazing artists will be playing a huge show in Nashville to support trans organizations and protest the Tennessee drag bill. Hunter Kelly, who hosts Proud Radio on Apple Music, was one of the key organizers.

That looks like a great show! Do you want to write about it for Rainbow Rodeo? I'll pay you! (Just respond to this e-mail.) (I can also see if there's a way to get you a press credential or guest list spot but I think we are way too small fry -- it's always worth asking, though.)

Additionally, Hunter and Black Opry have organized a fantastic show on 3/21 at City Winery Nashville that features Black, LGBTQ+, and QTPOC artists (see the Tweet thread for an excellent statement.) Are you going? I'll pay you to write about it!

As eryn brothers pointed out on Instagram, though, a lot of the coverage is focusing on white cis artists like Jason Isbell and Maren Morris. I kind of get it -- between human nature and search engine optimization, if you wanna get eyeballs you kind of have to use the most newsworthy names. Unfortunately, that means replicating the power structure of an imbalanced industry and society. And, as far as I know, Mya Byrne is the only trans or non-binary person on the bill. (But, PS, that means that Byrne is likely the first out trans woman to play in that arena!)

I don't think there's a path around centering these big names, and I'm not saying this to critique the show at all -- this is likely the largest concentration of out queer performers the Bridgestone Arena has ever seen. That is something I never ever dreamed of in my wildest imagination sitting on the floor of Branded Saloon and listening to Karen and the Sorrows back in 2011. Here's hoping this is a step towards something bigger. Things feel terrifying right now, but we've also come really far -- and we have to believe we'll get further.

Speaking of...

You might have seen on Instagram and other places that I put out a call for writers. For those of you who are "content creators" (ugh) and are interested in social media algorithm stuff, I placed this call on Instagram, Twitter, Mastodon and Discord. By far the most people who responded was on Instagram. The only person who responded on Twitter was someone who was already a mutual. So I think it's safe to say that Twitter is not really worth investing time in for growing an audience quickly.

Anyway! If you would like to write for the zine in the future, please complete this form and ignore the stuff about issue 2, since it already exists. This way I can send out e-mail blasts as I'm looking to assign pieces, and you can pitch me if you have an idea for a piece. :)

Sweetheart of the Rodeo

I think we could all use some trans Bruce Springsteen energy in our lives, and John-Allison Weiss's The Long Way feels very much like the spiritual successor of the Boss's catchy, gritty confessionals. The Long Way finds Weiss at a crossroads: a breakup, an evolution of their voice via testosterone, and throwing it all away to live in an RV in order to pursue music cheaply.

The Long Way plays to Weiss's strengths: known from the early days of Myspace as a purveyor of catchy hooks and vulnerable lyrics, they are stretching into more acoustic sounds here. This album has early-2000s emo foundations, for sure -- tell me you don't have "Different Now" stuck in your head indelibly and I'll tell you you're a liar. But to see Weiss live is another matter, as I did when I saw them open for Chris Pureka a few months ago. With just an acoustic guitar and their self-assured stage presence, these songs are transformed into something else entirely -- vulnerable, introspective, confident, and the Truth, as near as anyone can get to it.

The Long Way by John-Allison Weiss

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Album Releases

Here are all of the queer country album releases this month! Let me know if I should add something to the list!

• 3/1 — Tina and Her Pony

• 3/10 — Brian Falduto

• 3/10 — Booze Radley

• 3/17 — Roger Harvey

• 3/24 — Boys Club For Girls

• 3/24 — Creekbed Carter Hogan

Rainbow Roundup

• Autumn Sky Hall/Otto is making a "queer as shit Americana" album. Help her!!!

• What do you mean you don't want this $2 comic about butch cowgirls and gender rolemodels???

• You can sign up to table at the Punk Island zine fair, or volunteer for the Brooklyn-based festival. There will be quite a few Americana and folk musicians there. I don’t think a date has been announced.

• If you’re here, you like music zines. Longtime Wide Open Country contributor Addie Moore is taking pre-orders for their indie punk zine No Spectators

• Did you know that artists at SXSW get paid in virtual pennies and still have to buy a festival pass if they want to see someone else’s show? That sucks! Demand fair pay for SXSW

• You can get almost 50% off the book Queer Country using this code: F21UIP

• This thread gives advice on self-managed transition in Alabama and other states that restrict our bodily autonomy

• Queer songwriting circle https://www.eliconley.com/group-classes.html#circle

Podcast Spotlight

This month’s episode of Rainbow Rodeo is a check-in on all of the fantastic queer country that's come out so far -- plus a hint of what's to come. Featuring Sunny War, John-Allison Weiss, Jaimee Harris, Izzy Heltai, and more!

Libsyn Directory

Howdy, cowpokes! Thanks to an audio snafu, this month’s interview did not go as planned but that means I get to LARP as an NPR DJ! This month’s episode reviews the fantastic queer country releases from February, as well as a preview of what’s to come this spring. Sunny War, Anarchist Gospel, “Swear to Gawd” John-Allison Weiss, The Long Way, “Different Now” Terry Blade, Ethos: Son of a Sharecropper, “Won’t Be Around” Jaimee Harris, Boomerang Town, “Good Morning, My Love” Izzy Heltai, “Running Out” (Single) Tina and Her Pony “Beautiful Mess” (Marigolds) Tami Hart, “Thanks For Saying Hi” (Thanks For Saying Hi)  You can subscribe to the weekly newsletter !   Advertise on Rainbow Rodeo for a mere $10! Details .   Hate ads? Support Rainbow Rodeo on for as little as $2 a year!

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Events

• 3/21 -- Black Opry and Hunter Kelly have assembled an Avengers-worthy lineup of LGBTQ+, Black, and QTPOC perfomers at City Winery Nashville to benefit inclusion Tennessee

• 4/15 & 16 — The High Water Festival in Savannah, GA will feature a number of queer artists like Rainbow Kitten Surprise, SG Goodman, Orville Peck, Ezra Furman, and the Black Opry. Who’s buying a ticket for me?

• 4/20 -- The Love Rising Concert at Bridgestone Arena, featuring Mya Byrne, Allison Russell, Brothers Osborne, Joy Oladokun, and some guy named Jason Isbell among many many others

• 4/21 — There will be a virtual and in-person celebration of the life of Patrick Haggerty. The in-person gathering will be in Bremerton, WA. See the post for details about submitting notes, etc. to his family.

• 6/23 - 25: Melissa Carper, Alisa Amador, Maya deVitry, The Faux Paws, and Amy Martin are playing the Red Wing Roots Music Festival in Mount Solon, Virginia

Advertise in Rainbow Rodeo

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Rainbow Rodeo Playlist

Updated every week!

Rainbow Rodeo: LGBTQ+ Country, Americana, and Blues - playlist by Rachel C | Spotify

Rainbow Rodeo: LGBTQ+ Country, Americana, and Blues · Playlist · 20 songs · 93 likes

Thanks to Catie Pearl-Hartling for making a parallel list on Apple Music!

Thanks to Heike Hausmann for making a parallel list on Tidal!

Artist Resources

• We Are Moving the Needle is looking for women and non-binary audio engineers and music producers

• Eli Conley is hosting an LGBTQ+ songwriter circle online! Join in!

• Are you on Mastodon or another part of the Fediverse? Get your music on RadioFreeFedi! https://radiofreefedi.net/

• PS — If you’re thinking of joining Mastodon, make an account on musician.social and read my tips for making Mastodon work for you!

• Submit your music and events to The Q LGBTQ Creative Network

• This Twitter thread has a whole list of places to find jobs in the music industry

• And here’s a list of resources for “women” entering the music industry — presumably they also encourage nonbinary participants

• Submit your profile to the Country Everywhere which seeks to unite BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and disabled artists and professionals

• Sign up to the Black Opry Revue’s interest form)!

• Check out the weekly Queerfolk Fest show in Nashville

Join Our Discord!

Twitter kind of sucks right now and can you really make friends on Instagram? Join us on the Rainbow Rodeo Discord! We've been talking sci fi, tour lineups, press contacts, allyship, gender, and more! Just respond to this e-mail to get the link!